Ex-Barcelona midfielder Alen Halilovic joins Birmingham City
Birmingham City have moved to sign Alen Halilovic, who was once tipped for a bright future with Barcelona and later at AC Milan.
Alen Halilovic is itching to get started at Birmingham City after the former Barcelona and AC Milan midfielder penned a short-term deal with the Blues. The now 24-year-old was once regarded as one of European football's brightest prospects and LaLiga giants Barça snapped him up from Dinamo Zagreb in 2014.
Halilovic loan moves
However, he spent most of his time with Barça's B side and was shipped on loan to Sporting Gijón before joining Hamburg two years after his arrival at Camp Nou. The move to Germany did not work out particularly well for Halilovic but, after spending a season with Las Palmas on loan, he was signed by Serie A side Milan a couple of years ago. Loan spells at Standard Liège and Heerenveen did little to convince the Rossoneri, though, and he was released in October.
Halilovic is now set to embark on a new venture with Championship side Birmingham in English football's second tier. "Honoured and extremely happy to be here! Looking forward to getting started! Keep Right On!" Halilovic posted on Twitter.
Announcing the signing on their official website, Birmingham said: "[The] Blues have completed the signing of highly rated Croatian international, Alen Halilovic, on a short-term contract. The attacking midfielder joins until June 2021 having left Italian giants, AC Milan, when his contract expired last month. Halilovic will link up with fellow countryman Ivan Sunjic, having been touted as one of Croatia's most promising stars. At just 24 years old, the talented technician has already been snapped up by the likes of Barcelona and AC Milan, and will join Blues aiming to fulfil his undoubted potential."